One-man orchestra device



March 11, 1930. F. WANEK 1,749,862

ONE-MAN ORCHESTRA DEVICE Filed June 17. 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l Fig. 1.

fl TTOEJYE'Y Patented Mar. 11, 1930 PATENT OFFICE FRANK TIVANEK, OF DURAN, MINNESOTA ONE-MAN ORCHESTRA DEVICE Application filed June 17,

My invention relates to a one-man orchestra device, and the object is to combine a maximum number of different musical instruments in such a manner that one person 5 may play them all simultaneously as an orchestra. Such orchestral music is obtained by the improvements, arrangements and combination of instruments herein set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,

Fig. 1 is a perspective front view of the entire instrument with the operator in position for playing it.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged portion on the line 22 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevation on the line 33 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on the line 4-4 in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a View on line 55 in Fig. 3, enlarged.

Fig. 6 is a top view of the frame 27 and some shafts and other parts shown more clearly.

5 Fig. 7 is a detail side View of one of the sleeves 41 in Figs. 2 and 6.

Fig. 8 is a view about as on line 88 in Fig. 1, enlarged.

Referring to the drawings by reference numerals 5 designates a self-player piano having a record sheet 6 operated by rollers (not shown) and by pedals 7 and 7 a and the feet 8 of a musician 9 who occupies a seat 9 and is playing a violin 10 by a bow 11. He also plays sleigh-bells 12 mounted on leather straps suitably secured about his ankles.

The other musical instruments used in the device are mounted on two portable platforms 14 and 15, one to the left and the other to the right of the operatorand said instruments are operated by various mechanisms receiving motion mainly from two rods 16 and 17 one of which has one end pivoted at 45' 18 to the pedal 7. The other rod is likewise secured as at 18A to pedal 7 Each rod has its body formed with a spiral spring 19 from which extends a round leather belt or similar cable 20, which normally rests in a groove 21 so of a segmental cam 22 {see Figs. 2 6) to 1326. Serial No. 116,623.

which the end of the cable or cord is secured at 23.

Upon the platform the cam is secured at 24 to a rocker arm 25 fixed on a rock shaft 26, which is journaled in a bearing frame 27 and in a special outer bearing 27* and has also a shorter rocker arm 29 (Fig. 2) the latter constantly under pulling strain of a coil spring 30 secured at 31 to a post 32 holding a snaredrum 33 which is sounded by drum-sticks 34 having their lower ends pivoted on a pivot shaft 35. Further up from said pivot each stick 34 has a lug 36 fixed on it and pivotally connected to a horizontally disposed rod 37 which has a fixed collar 38 and a slidable collar 39 with a partly compressed coil spring 40 between them.

Each rod 37 is slidable in a bearing 41 and is threaded at 42 outwardly of said bearing (see Fig. 2) into a tubular nut 43 engaging rear end of bearing 41 and by which the compression of the springs 40 is thus regulated. Each bearing 41 has lug 44 journaled or pivoted on one of the crank pins 44 of a crank-shaft 45 one end of which has a rocker arm 46 (see Figs. 2 and 6) rocked by a link rod 47 and the segment 22 when the latter is rocked by the pedal rod 17, spring rod 19 and cable 20. The rods 37 are connected as described to opposite cranks of member 45 so that when the latter is rocked by operating pedal 7 the drum sticks 34 strike the drum alternately in pairs or groups.

Mounted on a resilient support 48 on the platform 15 is a tambourine 49 having the usual bells 50 and has a cord 51 connected to the segment 22 from which jerking motion is thus: received when the pedals 77 are operate On the platform 15 is further mounted in upright position a guitar 52 having playing strings 53 played by a swinging picker 54 held by a spring 54 on a rocker arm 55 fixed on the rock-shaft 26. The guitar is held by a bracket 56 having an upright rod 57 on which is secured by a set-screw 58 a. vertically movable clamp 59 having a pivoted member 60 normally given a downward tendency by a weight 61, so as to press on the strings 53 by a broad finger 62 acting as a position selector and is therefore readily movable up and down according to the scale or key in which the guitar music is to be played.

Lower down on the neck of the guitar is a similar clamp 59 (see Fig. 4) held by a screw 58 and having a weight 61 pressing a broad cam 62 against the strings during the playing of a certain cord and is raised from the strings during the playing of the next chord on the open strings which may mean the full length of the strings or their length up to the cam 62 in Fig. 5, wherever that is set.

In Fig. 4 the lever holding the weight is composed of the weight holding arm 60 pivoted at 60, and a member 60 pivoted at 60 to the clamp 59. The member 60 has a hook 60 supporting the arm 60 only until disengaged from under it while the weight is raised during the moving of the clamp 59.

In Fig. 4 is also best shown that a lever 63 is pivoted at 64 to the clamp 59 and has a heel 63 arranged to press upon a lateral projection 63 of member 60 and has its outer end formed with a hook 65 adapted to receive either one of several links 66 provided at the upper end of a link rod 67 the lower end of which rod is pivoted at 68 to a lever 69 pivoted at 7 O to a bracket 71 fixed on the platform. The lever 69 is constantly in contact with a cam 72, which is secured to a ratchet wheel 73, both of which are rotatable together on a stud 74 fixed on a stand 75 secured on the platform. 76 is a coil spring pressing on the cam to prevent accidental rotation of it. The wheel 73 has an even number of teeth, say eight, one of which is pushed along by a pawl 77 each time the picker arm 55, on which it is pivoted at 7 7, swings across the strings in the direction the pawl points. On the back stroke the wheel stands still but the strings are also then sounded b the picker. When the wheel has made a hal turn the cam 72 presses the lever 69 down and thereby pulls on rod 67 and hook 65 until the wheel 63" (see Fig. 4) by pressing down upon the lu 63 causes the weight 61 to raise and as 513.1? removes the broad finger 62 from the strings the sound of the latter changes to one octave deeper than when they pressed on the strings. When the wheel and cam have made the next half turn the cam 72 causes the rod 67 to be released and as the latter is then thrown upward by the weight 61 the finger 62" is again pressing on the strings 53 changing their pitch as desired. The music is automatically played alternately by a. higher and a. lower chord. When another piece is to be played the clamp 59 is suitably moved and the strings tuned as may be desired.

Mounted upon the left side platform 14 is a base drum 78, a large crash cymbal 79, a smaller cymbal 80, a cow-bell 81 and a triangle 82. The base drum is sounded by a mall 83 having its arm 83 fixed in a rock shaft 83",

journaled in a stand 83 and having also a small beater 83 striking the cymbal each time the drum is sounded by the mall. The rock shaft 83" has a rocker arm 83 connected by a link or similar means 83 to an inclined pedal or lever 84 which is hinged at to the platform 14 and is actuated b a rocker arm 86 of a rock shaft 87 journale in bearings 88 and having a second rocker arm 89 to which the left side segment 22 is secured at 24 the same as previously described for the right hand side.

The triangle 82 is suspended from an arm 90 of a post 91 secured on the platform, and to said post is pivoted at 92 an angular lever 93 having one arm 94 operated by a cord 94" from the lever 84 and has its lower arm 95 arranged to hit the triangle 82 each time the bass drum is hit by the mall (see Figs. 1 and 8).

The cymbal 80 is mounted on the bass drum and the cymbal 79 may be likewise mounted or its supporting post 79' may proceed from the platform up.

The cow-bell 81 has its shaft 98 journaled in a bearing bracket 99 and said shaft has a rocker arm 100 operated by a link rod 101 from a short rocker arm 102 fixed on a vertical rock shaft 103, which is suitably mounted on the platform and has its upper end provided with an arm 104 disposed nearby the outer side of the left knee of the operator, so that he may iound the bell 81 by a lateral movement of his nee.

Secured upon the tail-piece of the violin is a whistle 105, so arranged that the violinist may blow it whenever he so desires while he is playing the violin and a number or all of the other musical instruments.

As for the operation of the apparatus the same has already been partly described and some of it is difficult to describe but can only be acted out by the musician. In a general way it may be stated that while the musician is playing his violin and moving his feet in operating the pedals 7-7 he occasionally gives the cymbal 79 a knock either with the head of the violin, as indicated at 106 in Fig. 1, or he may hit the crash symbal 79 with the end of the violin bow. The cowbell is rung with the knee lever 104 whenever desired and likewise he blows the whistle as desired. All the other instruments are played simultaneously and automatically by the pedals 7-7. If he however desires to silence some of the instruments he may do so by throwing one of the cords or cables 20 out of the groove in the segment 22 either at the right or left side and let said cord hang slack until its use is desired again.

The rod 67 may be shortened or lengthened by placing different links 66 upon the hook 65.

I claim:

1. A dual musical instrument playing device for simultaneously playing a stringed instrument and a snare drum; said string instrument mounted in upright position, a snare drum mounted in proximity thereto in angular position, said device comprising a foot operated pedal, a rock shaft operatively connected to said pedal and having at one end an arm swingable across the strings of the string instrument, a string picker having resilient connection With the arm, a stand near the string instrument, a combined ratchet Wheel and cam mounted on a stud in the stand and having a spring retarding their rotation, a paWl pivoted on the rocker arm holding the picker and operating the ratchet Wheel, a pivoted arm in contact With the cam, a rod extending from the pivoted arm, and a string pressing device opened and closed alternately by the said rod and cam; said pressing device being slidably held by a set screw on an upright post back of the string instrument, and further means operated by said rock shaft to sound the snare drum.

2. The structure specified in claim 1, in which said last means comprises upright drumsticks pivotally mounted With their lower ends on a horizontal shaft parallel to said rock-shaft, and an arm on the latter shaft, a crank shaft parallel to said rock-shaft and means connecting said arm and crank shaft to oscillate the latter, a series of parallel drumstick actuating rods connected to the cranks of said crank shaft and each pivotally secured at one end to a drumstick and above the pivot of the latter, said drumsticks arranged in proximity to one head of a snare drum to strike it With their free ends When the said crank shaft is oscillated, as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FRANK WANEK. 

